Hamas said on Thursday the announcement by President Emmanuel Macron that France could recognize a Palestinian state by June was an “important step”, after Israel’s foreign minister slammed the plan. “We welcome the statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron regarding his country’s readiness to recognize the State of Palestine,” Hamas official Mahmud Mardawi told…
Despite a self-inflicted delay last week, House Republicans on Thursday passed legislation aimed at stopping noncitizens from voting in federal elections, a priority pursued by President Donald Trump. Known as the SAVE Act, it would require people to provide proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. Democrats have railed against the bill, particularly its limits on acceptable forms of identification, which…
The United States and Russia both said on Thursday that they had made progress toward normalizing the work of their diplomatic missions, with the United States saying it was still concerned about a Russian policy prohibiting the employment of local staff. The meeting of the U.S. and Russian delegations in Istanbul followed initial talks in…
Just in time for a mini heat wave going into the weekend, local public health authorities have lifted ocean water advisories placed on Malibu- and Santa Monica-area beaches affected by January’s Palisades fire. Even though officials are deeming the water safe for recreation, they’re still cautioning beachgoers to avoid any fire-related debris they encounter in…
Croatia on Thursday protested a spate of expulsions of its citizens from Serbia, where the government of populist President Aleksandar Vucic is faced with massive anti-corruption protests that have shaken his tight grip on power in the Balkan state. Dozens of foreign citizens, including 15 Croats, have been expelled from Serbia in the past few…
Russian and U.S. officials held a fresh round of talks in Turkey, after a prisoner swap in which Moscow released detained American Ksenia Karelina. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on the X platform Thursday that Karelina was “on a plane back home” after President Donald Trump had secured her release. Karelina was exchanged for Russian citizen Arthur Petrov in a swap conducted at Abu…
